Patrick Stewart made quite a scene behind the scenes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ during its first season in 1987.
The legendary British actor, 83, revealed why he clashed with his castmates and “stormed” the set of the beloved sci-fi series in his new autobiography, Making It So: A Memoir.
The drama erupted after Stewart, who played the lead role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, felt that co-stars like Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner were not taking their jobs seriously enough, according to excerpts from the tome obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
As Stewart explained, his previous work on the stages of the London theater left no room for “craziness,” so any early antics in Star Trek would upset him.
“I could be a serious jerk,” he wrote. ‘My experiences at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theater had been intense and serious.
Making waves: Patrick Stewart shot an entire behind-the-scenes scene of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ during the first season in 1987
Storming off: The British actor, 83, revealed why he clashed with his castmates and ‘stormed’ the set of the beloved sci-fi series in his new autobiography, Making It So: A Memoir
“On set, I got angry at my coworkers’ behavior, and then I called that meeting where I lectured the cast for making fun and responded to Denise Crosby’s, ‘We gotta have a little fun sometimes, Patrick’ comment by saying, “We’re not here, Denise, to have fun.”
“In retrospect, everyone, including me, finds this story hilarious,” he continued.
‘But when the cast erupted in hysterics over my pompous statement, I didn’t handle it well.
‘I didn’t like being laughed at. I stormed off the set and into my trailer, slamming the door.”
Stewart said Frakes and Spiner followed him to his trailer to gently let the stage actor know that he might have “misread” the situation.
Drama School: The drama erupted after Stewart felt costars like Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner weren’t taking their work seriously enough
Why so serious: As Stewart explained, his previous work on the stages of the London theater left no room for “craziness,” so any of Star Trek’s off-screen antics would upset him
“He and Jonathan recognized that there was indeed too much chatter and that a callback needed to be made.
“But they also made it clear how unpleasant it was for me – and not a case study in good leadership – to try to resolve the issue by lecturing and berating the cast.
‘I had failed to read the room and impose RSC behavior on people used to the ways of episodic television – which, after all, was what we were filming.’
Stewart played Picard, captain of the USS Enterprise, for all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which originally aired from 1987 to 1994.
At the time, Stewart shared the screen with young Hollywood actor Wil Wheaton, whose “adolescent confidence” left Stewart “put off,” as did the cast’s goofing off, according to excerpts from the memoir.
To set the record straight: “On set, I got angry at the behavior of my co-workers, and that’s when I called that meeting where I lectured the cast for making fools of themselves.”
Ego trip: Stewart shared the screen with actor Wil Wheaton (left), whose “adolescent self-assurance” left Stewart “put off,” according to excerpts from the memoir
“I thought the teenager-on-the-enterprise concept was a bit gimmicky, but I was also put off by Wil’s teenage self-assurance,” he admitted.
‘To me he seemed cocky at first. But as I examined my feelings, I realized they weren’t really about Wil or the idea that he needed to know his place as a youth actor — they reflected my own vulnerability.
‘In those first weeks I wished I had Wil’s trust.’
Of course, Stewart had some time to sit with his feelings and take a new approach to filming the role, as nearly three decades later he starred in Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard, which ran from 2020 to 2023.